Jin Guangyao
Jin Guangyao (金光瑶, Jīn Guāngyáo), born Meng Yao (孟瑶, Mèng Yáo) was the leader of the Lanling Jin Sect after the death of Jin Guangshan. A member of the Venerated Triad, he was also Jin Zixuan's half-brother and Jin Ling's uncle. Due to the power of the Lanling Jin Sect before and during his reign, he became the first Chief Cultivator. Appearance Jin Guangyao was described as having an advantageous face, with fair skin and distinct pupils. His features were clean, attractive, and ingenious, with the shadow of a smile playing on the corners of his lips and brows. His figure was a bit small, and his demeanor calm. Novel, Chapter 47 Like all members of the Lanling Jin Sect, he wore sect uniform embroidered with a white peony motif, and bore a vermilion mark on his forehead. Novel, Chapter 7 A black felt hat distinguished his position as the leader of the Lanling Jin Sect. Novel, Chapter 47 Personality Jin Guangyao possessed an eidetic memory, as he could remember the name, title, age, and appearance of a person after just one encounter. Moreover, if he had seen someone more than twice, he could remember all of their likes and dislikes, and thereby cater to their needs. Novel, Chapter 47 Because of his memory and intelligence, his sworn brother Nie Mingjue considered him a rare genius. Novel, Chapter 49 Jin Guangyao was an excellent actor, easily switching from cold to panicked, shedding tears on will. Novel, Chapter 49 He was exceptionally skilled with words, and easily used his talent to gain advantages over his opponents. Novel, Chapter 101 Novel, Chapter 108 Additionally, he was capable of maintaining his craftiness even in the most volatile situations, as he quickly deduced that Wei Wuxian was the paperman who had seen his unstable wife and Nie Mingjue's head – and promptly hid the head while directing suspicion on Wei Wuxian, revealing him as the Yiling Patriarch in possession of Mo Xuanyu's body.Novel, Chapter 50 On the surface, Jin Guangyao showed a caring and humble demeanor. He proposed the construction of lookout towers to watch over common people, Novel, Chapter 42 and he allowed his deceased brother's murals to exist alongside his in equal glory, despite the precedent that he should make Jin Zixuan seem less impressive. Novel, Chapter 47 Jin Guangyao was also filial towards his mother, going so far as to build a Guanyin Temple with a statue in her likeness. He hoped that his mother, a prostitute, would receive enough worship to reincarnate into a better life. Novel, Chapter 110 Underneath his kind and gentle facade, however, Jin Guangyao was deeply insecure about his roots. He repeatedly demonstrated distress at being called "the son of a prostitute." Novel, Chapter 50 Novel, Chapter 104 Moreover, he was desperate to earn Jin Guangshan's approval; in his own words, as long as his father commanded him, "no matter how foolish it was, no matter how hated I'd be, I'd obey regardlessly." As a result, Jin Guangyao committed many violent acts, even killing his sworn brother Nie Mingjue after Jin Guangshan deemed Nie Mingjue a political inconvenience. Novel, Chapter 106 After realizing that Jin Guangshan would never love him, Jin Guangyao elected to retaliate against his father by murdering him in a deeply embarrassing manner, revealing a ruthless side to his personality. Although he did not kill needlessly, he was willing to kill or endanger many to save himself. Novel, Chapter 105 In his own words, he had killed "his father, brother, teacher, wife, son, and friend" by the end of the book. Novel, Chapter 108 Notably, however, his ruthlessness was not entirely without his own brand of mercy: he elected to save his mother's friend Sisi despite the fact that she was a dangerous witness to his murder of Jin Guangshan, Novel, Chapter 111 and to marry his own half-sister because she had already become pregnant before he knew of their relation. Novel, Chapter 105 The one perpetual exception to his ruthlessness was his sworn brother Lan Xichen. Novel, Chapter 108 Lan Xichen was his closest friend, and they spent spend hours together talking and night hunting. Novel, Chapter 46 Jin Guangyao even went so far as to help rebuild the Cloud Recesses exactly as it was before, and to protect Lan Xichen from Nie Mingjue's fierce corpse. Novel, Chapter 108 Trivia * At 170 cm, Jin Guangyao is the shortest adult male character in the cast. Author Note * He is also referred to in the Chinese fandom as "Little Sister Yao" (瑶妹). * The novel states that Jin Guangyao and Jin Zixuan share the same birthday. However, their Baidu pages (and profiles) show different birthdays, which is inconsistent. ** One possibility is that they share the same birthday under the Chinese calendar, which has calendar years of varying length (353–355 or 383–385 days long), adjusted by leap months. References Category:Characters Category:Lanling Jin Sect Category:Male Characters Category:Deceased